WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
OBAMA ENDORSEMENT 2016
President Barack Obama (D): “And so everything we can do to make sure that we’re increasing participation is something that we should promote and encourage. Our democracy is not going to function well when only half or a third of eligible voters are participating.”
STATE OF THE UNION 2013
President Barack Obama (D): “We must all do our part to make sure our God-given rights are protected here at home. That includes our most fundamental right as citizens: the right to vote. When any Americans – no matter where they live or what their party – are denied that right simply because they can’t wait for five, six, seven hours just to cast their ballot, we are betraying our ideals. That’s why, tonight, I’m announcing a non-partisan commission to improve the voting experience in America. And I’m asking two long-time experts in the field, who’ve recently served as the top attorneys for my campaign and for Governor Romney’s campaign, to lead it. We can fix this, and we will. The American people demand it. And so does our democracy.”
FOR WEEKEND/HOLIDAY VOTING
Martin Luther King III: “Requiring people to vote on a Tuesday is in many respect the last vestige of the poll tax. The simple fact is that single working mom’s and people with two jobs simply can’t vote on Tuesday, a working day. So, ensuring that all Americans have the opportunity to vote on a weekend day truly is the last mile in that long journey begun in Selma.”
Ambassador Andrew Young (D): “If Congress can move President’s Day, Columbus Day and alas Martin Luther King’s Birthday celebration for the convenience of shoppers, shouldn’t they at least consider moving Election Day for the convenience of voters?”
President Barack Obama (D): “I think we have to make it easier to vote, and I’m assuming that Why Tuesday? is in favor of, for example, having it on weekends so that more people can vote.” VIDEO
Former Vice President Al Gore (D): “Good idea.”
Former Senator John McCain (R): “I am in favor of whatever gets people out.”
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D): “I want to thank Why Tuesday? for focusing on the critical issue of election reform because I do believe our voting system is broken… We shouldn’t be holding our elections on a workday when so many people can’t get to the polls because they do have to be at work.”
Former Senator Richard Lugar (R): “I think the Holiday, if we were to move in that direction, is probably one I would support.”
Senator Barbara Boxer (D): “It’s a great idea… it ought to be a holiday, and if we moved it to the weekend that is fine too.”
Senator Al Franken (D): “I think voting on the weekend is a great idea, even though that means standing up to the powerful Tuesday lobby.”
Senator Bernie Sanders (D): “Election Day should be a national holiday so that everyone has the time and opportunity to vote.”
Senator Debbie Stabenow (D): “You know, that’s been like that forever and there’s no good reason. It ought to be on a weekend. In Texas…people can vote any time within a week. It’s all just choice, and I think it [voting on Tuesday] makes it much harder for people that are working…We want to make it easier for people to vote.”
Representative Nancy Pelosi (D): “I think it is a great idea. It works in other countries in terms of participation. I love it.”
Representative Steve Israel (D): “There is good reason to change voting from Tuesday to weekends.”
Representative John Larson (D): “Moving our elections to the weekend would make it much easier for everyone to get out and vote.”
Representative Jim Clyburn (D): “Weekend voting would empower working people, students and seniors and add value to the major cornerstone of our democracy.”
Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum (R): “I’m certainly not wedded to Tuesday. I don’t think there’s anything magical about Tuesday.”
Former Senator Bill Bradley (D) “Move Election [Day] from Tuesday to the weekend. It would allow parents to take their children to the polls and inculcate in them the habit of being a citizen and voting. It’s common sense.”
Former Senator Arlen Specter (I): “Is there any good reason why we vote on Tuesday? No. I think it would be a very good idea to have the election on a Sunday.”
Former Senator Chris Dodd (D): “I think it ought to be tried–we ought to experiment with it anyway, see how it works. Certainly to get much more participation than we do at about 50% of the eligible voters in this country, are we doing everything to make it easy for people to vote?”
Former Representative Dennis Kucinich (D): “I think it would be great to have the election on a weekend day, one or two days, where people could vote at their own convenience, where there wouldn’t be any discrimination against working people. We need to make Election Day more accessible to people, and I’m all for that.”
Former Representative Jane Harman (D): “I think it’s a good idea… it would improve turnout. It’s a very interesting idea.”
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R): “You made a good point about whether or not the elections should be held on a Tuesday or maybe move them to Saturday or some other day. I’m certainly open to that.”
Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D): “Passing the Weekend Voting Act is common sense. Tuesday elections are arbitrary and keep too many from exercising their right to vote.”
Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (D): “I endorse the goals of Why Tuesday? to move the Election Day to a day that is more accessible to all Americans. Voting is a sacred part of democracy.”
Meghan McCain: “I have no problem with the Electoral College. I actually have a bigger problem with the day we chose to vote. There’s actually this great organization I’m a part of called Why Tuesday? That’s trying to change voting.”
Norman Ornstein: “We have an obligation to do everything we can to make voting easy for eligible Americans. Moving elections to the weekend is a simple and straightforward way to do just that, and to help millions of working Americans who want to exercise their constitutional right and duty.”
AGAINST WEEKEND/HOLIDAY VOTING
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R): “Each state, the people of the state, are able to make a decision as to how they want to vote.”
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R): “I don’t think turnout is a problem based on when we vote, I think turnout is a problem based on frankly negative campaigns and the kind of politics we have that make people get disgusted.”
Herman Cain (R): “I don’t believe our system is broken. It may not be perfect, but it’s certainly not broken.”
MAYBE
Vice President Joe Biden (D): “If I saw any data to suggest that it would create a larger turnout then I would strongly support that.”
Representative Ron Paul (R): “Yeah, it should be April 15th. That’s when I’d like them to vote. Then they’d know what they’re doing, maybe throw bunch of people out of office.”
Former Arkansas Governor Tom Vilsack (D): “Clearly the opportunity to create a day in this country where we celebrate the act of voting is intriguing to me… It would be an interesting opportunity to see if that would increase voter turnout.”